One of the biggest youth soccer tournaments in the world got underway in Blaine over the wekend as seven teams from Minnesota took home titles from the Schwan’s USA Cup Weekend Tournament. Over the course of the event, which runs until July 20, more than 1,000 teams from 17 states and 17 countries will compete at the Schwan’s USA Cup on as many as 48 fields at the National Sports Center in Blaine.

Hundreds of soccer teams are in Blaine this weekend for what’s called the “largest youth sports event in the Western Hemisphere.” One team, however, has overcome more than most of us could imagine to get a shot to compete.

Two Japanese women’s soccer teams are taking the field at the Schwan’s USA Cup in Blaine. It’s the first time the teams has been back since the devastating earthquake and tsunami, which destroyed both of their neighborhoods.